| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer: "and undoubtedly she came direct from the house of Dr. Fu-Manchu.
You should have detained her, Petrie. It is the third time we
have had that woman in our power, the third time we have let
her go free."
"Smith," I replied, "I couldn't. She came of her own free will to give
me a warning. She disarms me."
"Because you can see she is in love with you?" he suggested, and burst
into one of his rare laughs when the angry flush rose to my cheek.
"She is, Petrie why pretend to be blind to it? You don't know
the Oriental mind as I do; but I quite understand the girl's position.
She fears the English authorities, but would submit to capture by you!
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: may rest a little now.'
Alice looked round her in great surprise. `Why, I do believe
we've been under this tree the whole time! Everything's just as
it was!'
`Of course it is,' said the Queen, `what would you have it?'
`Well, in OUR country,' said Alice, still panting a little,
`you'd generally get to somewhere else--if you ran very fast
for a long time, as we've been doing.'
`A slow sort of country!' said the Queen. `Now, HERE, you see,
it takes all the running YOU can do, to keep in the same place.
If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as
Through the Looking-Glass |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: expedient. But you, instead of executing you Commander's orders,
complain if aught harsher than usual is enjoined; not
understanding to what condition you are bringing the army, so far
as in you lies. If all were to follow your example, none would
dig a trench, none would cast a rampart around the camp, none
would keep watch, or expose himself to danger; but all turn out
useless for the service of war. . . . Thus it is here also. Every
life is a warfare, and that long and various. You must fulfil a
solider's duty, and obey each order at your commander's nod: aye,
if it be possible, divine what he would have done; for between
that Command and this, there is no comparison, either in might or
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: "I seem to remember at Washington, something faintly
Corinthian, something called the Capitol," Sir Richmond
reflected. "And other buildings. A Treasury."
"That is different," said the young lady, so conclusively
that it seemed to leave nothing more to be said on that
score.
"A last twinge of Europeanism," she vouchsafed. "We were
young in those days."
"You are well beneath the marble here."
She assented cheerfully.
"A thousand years before it."
|
